Left 4 Dead : Immortal
by Soleneus
Summary: A story yet to be told, about Zoey and a man from her past. A new Infected is killing survivors, and Zoey knows who he used to be. Zoey/OC Working on Chapter 7
1. Immortal

Left 4 Dead: Immortal

Chapter 1

(This ain't about Francis, sorry.)

The graffiti on the wall spoke of an Infected. This was normal; the creature they spoke of was not, even for Infected. A woman, brown hair tangled and dirty, ran her hand over the letters as she read them.

IF YOU HEAR THE GROUND SHAKE, **RUN! Simon, Ali, and Spencer.**

What, like a Tank? WE already know that, jackass.

I know what they mean. I saw it too.

_What is it?_

It's like a hunter, a tank and a charger all in one.

**WHAT?**

**The ground shakes, and then it roars like a beast. We thought it was just a regular infected, but it charged us, amazingly fast, and grabbed John. Bullets did nothing. It carried John off, and we could hear his screams from a mile away. Me and Carly ran for our lives, and it laughed. It jumped on her, just came out of nowhere and started ripping her apart. I was the only one who got in here.**

**I can hear it outside the door, yelling, "Where is she? Where is Zoey?" The door is bending, and it won't be long before it gets in here. I love you Carly. I'm sorry.** (Blood splatters cover the wall from here.)

"My god," She whispered, "What happened to you? Bill, Francis, Louis, look at this." Zoey motioned her fellow survivors over. "Oh shit." Louis said, eyes wide. Francis scoffed, "Doesn't sound so bad. I bet I could take him." Bill read the look of horror on Zoey's face correctly. "You knew him." He said softly. Francis and Louis turned towards her. She looked around at her friends. "Yes," she whispered. Louis asked, "How?" Zoey seemed to compose herself, and looked them right in the eyes. "Before I met you guys, I was with two other guys," "Sounds sexy," Francis laughed, before Bill smacked him in the back of the head. "This is serious, Francis." Zoey shook her head. "It's a long story." Louis motioned towards the sealed safe room door. "We have plenty of time," he said gently.

Zoey sat on the bed, her pistols on either side of her. The others followed suit, setting weapons down and sitting. She sighed, and seemed at a loss for words for a moment. Then, she began her story,

None of them noticed the glowing yellow eyes on the other side of the door. None of them heard the whisper: "Zoey."

A\N So, Francis is in this story. It's not actually about him , though


	2. Ax Me a Question

Chapter 2

Slight AU

"_It began after the Infection hit. Me, a guy named Adrian, and a guy named Steve were friends in college. We left after my mom and dad died, and went to the town of Fairway. 30 minutes away from Aldrich, We were looking for supplies. That's were things went wrong."_

They rode in silence. Steve took the wheel, a lead pipe lying across his lap. Zoey sat in the middle, the pistol her dad had shot her mother with. And the one she shot her father with, after he had asked her to end his life. Adrian sat next her, his face ashen. A bloodied fire axe sat on his lap.

When Zoey's mom had risen as infected, he had stepped in front of Zoey protectively, ready to kill her mom. Then, Zoey's dad shot her mom in the back of the head. The head exploding in his face was not the first time he'd seen someone die.

What worried him more was the fact that her head blew apart in front of him, literally in his face. Blood had sprayed on to his face and into his open mouth. He could still taste it in his mouth.

No one said anything. As if they'd know what to say.

**Fairway.**

They stopped on the outskirts, and walked into town. They hoped that the infection hadn't reached Fairway. But by the boarded up windows, cars abandoned in the street, and people wandering the streets in various states of filth, covered in blood;

"Goddammit."

The curse was whispered, but still echoed down the street. The street filled with Infected. Almost simultaneously, every Infected turned to the source of the sound.

The Horde descended on them with a howl.

"**Shit."**

Zoey opened fire with her pistol as the guys sprinted, as fast as they could, away from the horde. Adrian was the frontrunner, looking for anything that was safe enough to hold out, long enough for them to fight off the undead. "There!" he pointed towards a gun shop that had its doors open. "Get inside! Pull the gate down! I'll hold them off! **Zoey**!" "What?" "Hurry!" She turned and began a full on-sprint. Zoey dashed into the store, leaving Adrian standing with his fire ax in the doorway. "Come on, you motherfuckers!" He taunted, "I'll kill everyone of you!" He brandished his fire ax, and adrenalin rushing through his veins, the horde closed in on him, and he began swinging his ax with all his might.

Time slowed down, and all he heard was the beating of his heart in his ears. All he saw was the Infected milling in front of him, swarming to get to his friends inside the store. Steve began pulling the grate that covered the shop down. "Zoey!" She looked at Steve struggling to hold the gate up, high enough that Adrian could slip under it. "What?" She yelled over the noise the zombies where making. "Grab something to help him! It's a gunshop, there's got to be something we can use!" Zoey searched around frantically, looking for any thing to use that could help. Her eyes lit upon a small pile of cylindrical pipes, with wicks sticking out of them. She grabbed one of the pipes, and lit the fuse. "Adrian!" She screamed.

Adrian swung his ax in a wide arc, slicing through the front ranks of the horde. Blood spattered his clothes and face. A primal roar left his lips and he swung again, pushing the horde back. He hacked and slashed at them, gore coating his ax and body. Adrian's thoughts fell away, all he saw was the swing of his ax, the arc of blood as it left the deads' body. "Adrian!" he heard a female voice yell. He turned and his eyes fixed on Zoey who had a terrified look on her face, and in a rush, the world came back. She tossed a cylinder with a fuse into the air, arcing it over his head.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

He turned and ran for the store, as the horde ran after the bomb. He dived under the grate, and Steve let it slide to floor with a loud _thunk. _Adrian looked at the dead masses converging on the pipe bomb, and watched as it exploded, vaporizing the ones closest to it and shredding the ones farther away.

Steve closed the blinds, and turned to where Adrian kneeled, panting from his exertion. Zoey stood next him as he stood shakily, using his ax to steady himself. "You were laughing, you know." Steve said. Adrian looked shocked as Zoey nodded, a worried look in her eyes. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and looked him in the face. "Don't scare me like that ever again." She clasped him in a warm embrace, and he wrapped his arms around her. They held each other for a minute, and then Adrian broke the hug, stating, "I hope there's a bathroom in here. I gotta wash the blood offa me." He smiled at Zoey, then trudged into the back room, and up a set of stairs into the apartment above. Steve looked at Zoey questioningly. She blushed and turned away.

Adrian stumbled down the hallway towards the bathroom, leaning heavily against the wall. His breath came in short gasps, and he felt like he was on fire. He used the wall as a support and pushed himself into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him. Adrian turned to the mirror above the sink, and looked at his blood covered face, staring at his eyes. They were a pleasant shade of yellow, almost gold, some would say. He washed his face, and took his coat off, dropping it on the floor. His legs gave away, and he tumbled to the ground.

Adrian convulsed violently, his muscles felt like they were burning, and he spasmed in pain, biting back a scream. He distantly heard knocking on the door, and Zoey's voice drifted through. "Are you alright?" She asked. Adrian barely managed to speak, "I'm fine. I just slipped on the floor." Zoey laughed, "Gross! Just cleanup before you come out!" "Okay, be out… in…a bit." He heard her walk away, her footsteps making small thumps against the floor.

He stayed in there for almost an hour. Steve looked up when he heard the bathroom door creak open. "You finally done?" he called from the kitchen, "about damn time! Some of us have had to go for awhile!" He brushed past Adrian as he walked down the hallway. "You okay?" he asked, "you don't look so hot." "Yeah, I don't feel good. I'm going to lie down, alright?" Adrian said. "Sure, man, don't worry about it. Get some rest. You'll need it."

Steve walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Adrian stumbled down the hall to where a small cot, a bed, and a couch were set up. He landed on the cot, and was asleep in seconds.

_That's funny,_ Steve thought. _Since when has Adrian been taller than me? _Zoey walked into the living room, where Adrian slept. She stared at his back as he slowly inhaled, and exhaled._ I think he's been working out,_ the thought went trough her mind unbidden. _That shirt looks a little tight. I can see the muscles in his back._

Zoey blushed and left the room.


	3. Infection

Chapter 3

He wandered the streets, looking for food, for anything, to help the agony in his head. A whisper, carried by the wind, screeched inside his head, and he turned towards the noise, ready to tear whoever had made his headache worse limb from limb. Three people stood far away, and they smelled…different. _Fresh._ He and his brethren ran after these…fresh things. _Prey…_his mind said. _Food…_ these prey ran from him, and his brothers and sisters. They ran towards the prey, the small one with the long hair, killing his family as she ran. She dived into a doorway, and another prey stood to take her place, brandishing a stick with a shiny head. He swung the stick and cut down his family. He felt the pain of his fallen family, and it only served to make him angry. Howling in pain and rage, he dashed towards the prey who dared to kill his family. The prey laughed. _Laughed._ He felt a tremor of fear run through his mind; the human part. Then the prey cut him in half, and as his mind faded away, he felt his mind focus on one thing._ The eyes. My god. The eyes. _Yellow and furious, they stared into his own. And then they laughed.

Adrian awoke, cold sweat pouring down his face, breath coming in short bursts. He wiped the sweat away, and then stopped, shocked at what he saw. _I can see everything._ He thought. The clock read 3 a.m., but he could see everything in the darkness. As if someone had turned on a yellow light in the room. _This can't be good._ Adrian stumbled to the bathroom, to look at his eyes. When he flicked the light switch, the world returned to its' normal colors. He looked at his eyes, and almost screamed. _My eyes…Jesus Christ my EYES!_

They glowed; bright yellow, like a lantern. _I can't let them see my eyes. They'll think I'm…_ It struck him like a ton of bricks. _I'm Infected. Dear god. I'm Infec-_ "Are you alright?" His head jerked up, and he saw Zoey standing there, in the white shirt she usually wore under her pink jacket; and then quickly covered his face with his hands. Zoey had heard Adrian get out of bed, and followed him to the bathroom. She watched as he slid to the floor, face in his hands. She asked if he was alright. Truth be told, she was worried. He hadn't slept well, thrashing on his cot, and when she tried to cover him with a blanket, he had kicked it off immediately. She felt his forehead, and was surprised to feel him burning. Zoey watched him sleep, before falling asleep herself.

"I'm fine, Zoey." He said, still covering his face with his hands. "Hey…hey…" She pulled his hands away from his face. "Don't feel bad. We all had to do something to escape them. You did a lot today. We survived because of…" He opened his eyes and looked at her sadly. "Oh my god," She whispered quietly. "Your eyes…" "Yeah. About that…Zoey, I think we should split up." "What? What do you mean?" She shouted, her eyes almost tearing up. He quickly motioned with his hands for her to be quiet. "Sshh! Not right now, but when we get out of Fairway, I think you and Steven should head for the radio station outside of town, and call for help. Then try and get somewhere safe, like the Keyes, or an island. You'll be safe there."

"Why?" She pleaded, "Come with us! We'll find a cure, or something, anything-" Adrian silenced her with a hug. "Sshh, its okay, Zoey. I have to leave you guys. It's the only way I can ensure your safety from me. Well, as safe as you can be in a zombie apocalypse." He stood up. "I'm sorry. It's the only way." He left her there, sitting in the bathroom, crying.

**Present time.**

"You were in love with him, weren't you?" The words came from Bill. Francis and Louis both looked at Zoey, sad, questioning looks on their faces. "When we were kids, we lived next door to each other." She looked down. "One day, I heard from my dad that he was moving away. I ran to his house, and screamed in his face, "Why? Why didn't you tell me?" And he hugged me, and whispered in my ear: "Whatever happens, I'll find you. Find our spot, and it'll explain everything." Then he left." "What did he mean, 'our spot'?" Louis asked. "There was this tree we sat under as teenagers, tell each other what we would do with our lives. I went there after he moved, and I found a box, that had this picture in it." She pulled out a worn photo. It showed a younger, happier Zoey with a young man, who was kissing her on the cheek. "Wow," said Francis, "You guys look happy."

"That wasn't the only thing I found in the box she pulled out a letter, worn with age and taped together in some places. She unfolded it, and started to read it. "'Dear Z. I'm sorry I never told you about me moving. I didn't have courage to tell you. I never could face you when you were angry, or sad. I'm also sorry that I couldn't tell you how I feel about you. Love, A.'" Zoey set the letter in her lap. Tears fell from her eyes as she relived the memory. "I saw this eraser mark, and I rubbed some dirt on it. It said: 'I love you.'"

There was silence for a moment. Then Bill asked, "Did you?" Zoey looked up. "Did I what?" "Love him." She contemplated for a minute. Then she looked around at her friends. She noticed the glowing eyes above the door. Speaking to them, she said. "Yes. I love him."

The eyes seemed to close, then they opened again. This time they all heard the voice behind the eyes say: "Zoey."

Everyone jumped to their feet, but only Francis grabbed his shotgun from off the floor. Seeing the luminous eyes, he jumped, and his finger pulled the trigger.


	4. I Hate Cars

Chapter 4

A roar of pain shook the safe room. The eyes disappeared, and there was a slapping sound, as if someone had slapped their hand to an injured face. Some small drops of blood hit ground. "Francis!" Zoey yelled in surprise, shock, and little bit of anger. Part of the safe room door bent with a screech, the cabinets blocking the door rattling. "What the hell?" Louis eyes were wide "how the hell did something bend the door? Not even a Tank is that strong!"

There was a squishing sound, some grunts of pain, and then, something small and metal _plinked _against the ground at Francis's feet, then rolled around, leaving a minute trail of blood behind it. Bill slowly bent over, and picked it up. "It's shotgun pellet." A growl rumbled the room, and a yellow eye slowly came into view in the grate of the safe room door. "Please don't do that again." Everyone jumped at the deep voice. "Who said that?" Francis asked, looking around the room.

"That would be the guy you just shot."

"Adrian?" The question was asked softly, almost fearfully. The voice sighed. "Hey… Zoey. How's things?" Zoey walked up to the grate, and slowly, hesitantly, reached for his face. She traced his jawline softly. "What happened to you?" she rested her hand against his cheek, blood streaming out of one eye. "You remember Fairway..." "Zoey," Louis looked confused, "What does he mean?" "When we got up that day, we left the gunshop..."

"_I was torn up. I didn't want to lose him again. I had a plan to convince him to come with me and Steve when we got to the edge of town…but I never got a chance."_

_Thunk. _Steve settled the plank across the gap, from the roof of the gunstore, to the roof of the building next to it. In between them was an alley, with a white car at the bottom. "Whew," said Steve, "I hope no one falls. It was about a thirty foot drop. He carried an assault rifle and a combat knife, with an extra pistol in one of the holsters he found in behind a case. Zoey carried a semi-auto sniper rifle she had taken from behind the counter, with two pistols in holsters on her hips. Adrian carried a pump-action shotgun, with his fire ax slung across his back, and a pistol in a holster. All carried at least two pipebombs

Adrian had fashioned some weapon harnesses from some leather belts lying around, so they could carry their larger weapons on their backs. He had been wearing sunglasses, even indoors, to hide his eyes from Steve. Thankfully, Zoey had not told Steven about Adrian's condition. Truth be told, he still was feverish, and feeling sick. They both knew that Steve would try to kill Adrian if he found out.

Steve settled the second plank across the roof, and motioned to the others to cross. Adrian pushed Zoey on first, and she crossed carefully. Steve crossed next, jumping to the other roof. They motioned for Adrian to walk over the next. He stepped up unto the lip of the roof, and carefully settled his weight on the creaking board. Adrian took another step forward, then another…_crack._

Adrian's head snapped up. The horrified look on his face was mirrored on Zoey's and Steve's faces.

A second passed.

Then the board gave away.

Adrian plummeted to the ground with a yell, landing with a sickening crack on the roof of the car. The windows of the car blew out from the impact, and the roof dented from the force. He lay there, unmoving.

The car alarm began to blare. "Shit! Zoey, run!" Steve ran across the rooftops without looking back. Zoey looked down at Adrian's body, hoping to see any signs of life. "Zoey!" A single tear fell from her cheek, dropping to the ground below. She took off, sprinting across the rooftops. _I guess he got what he wanted,_ She wiped away another tear that threatened to escape her eyes._ Maybe it's better this way. At least I didn't have to say goodbye._

They ran away from source of the car alarm, while all Infected within a mile radius screeched and howled, running towards the sound.

Zoey and Steve ran as far as they could, hopping gaps, and setting boards across longer ones. By the time they stopped, finally, panting hard, sweat running down their faces. The sun had set, and they were miles from the death of their friend. "Why did we leave him there!" Zoey sobbed, trying to catch her breath. "It's what he would have wanted us to do! You know that!" Steve said. "We should have done something, anything! At least, not left his body just lying there, for those… **things **to eat him! We could have-" She was cut off by a howl that rang in their ears. "What the fuck was that?" Zoey shrugged in confusion.

"**RAAHHH!"** A hooded figure tackled Zoey, and they slid across the roof. "Help me!" she shouted, holding her arm in front of her face to protect it. The "Hood" slashed her arm open, blood spilling onto the roof. "Zo-gaaah!" Steve tried to run towards her, but was forcibly pulled back by a long, slimy tongue-like thing. It dragged him back towards a wall, where it dangled him about 3 feet above the ground, and began to crush the air out of his lungs.

The hood knocked Zoey's arm aside, and howled in triumph, then dived for her throat, bloody teeth bared…

"Zoey!"

**3 HOURS EARLIER**…

He groaned, pain ripping through back. He rolled off the dented roof of the car, falling to his hands and knees, crunching the broken glass on the ground. He tried to stand, but crippling pain pulsed through his body, making him fall to his knees, gasping for breath. He tried to stand again, flexing his back as he did, and the joints cracked back into place. He stretched, and he heard a ripping sound. His leather jacket, pants and shirt, had torn apart. _How did it rip? They were some sizes too big for me, last time I checked._ He pulled the now-useless garments off, picked up his shotgun where it had fallen, and went looking for a clothing store.

As soon a s he walked out of the alley, he froze in fear. The infected were shuffling about, some clutching their heads and mumbling, or sitting around, faces in hands, and some were just dead, no apparent reason why. Something bumped into Adrian, and in surprise, he lashed out. An impact and a spray of gore. Eyes wide, Adrian looked at the bloody smear on the alley wall that was, a second ago, an Infected. _How the hell did I do that?_ He asked himself.

Still surprised, but now confident he could handle himself, he took a deep breath, and walked out into the street, with his shotgun ready.

Silence.

He was met with silence.

No howls, or a crowd of infected sprinting towards him. Just silence. And the groaning and moaning of the undead. That too.

Adrian noticed something. _Yesterday… I was about the same height as some of these guys. I'm taller, now, by about a foot._ This was only slightly disconcerting. What was really weird was the fact that the Infected ignored him completely. They even avoided him, leaving a six-foot wide circle of space around him. He shrugged. _I've never been one to question good luck. Or bad luck._ He walked around for about an hour, enjoying his new freedom from fear of the dead.

He found a clothing store; unfortunately, the door was closed and locked. Adrian checked for a back entrance, or a ladder, but found nothing. Grasping the handle, he pulled slowly. The metal doorframe bent and groaned, and the glass cracked, then shattered, spraying out into the street. With a screech of protest, the door ripped away from its' hinges. Marveling at how light the door felt in his hand; he thought, _it feels like I'm not even holding anything. Just how strong am I?_ Throwing the door away, not even noticing how far the door flew, or the infected that it hit were nearly cleaved in half, he walked over to a sedan parked in the street. Taking a deep breath, and cracking his neck, he bent his knees, and took a hold of the bottom of the car. He pulled up, and to his surprise, the car came up easily. _Holy shit._ He thought to himself. He hefted the car above his head, and found that he was only straining slightly. Grinning madly, he threw the car with all his might. It sailed about a hundred feet, and landed with a crunch of metal, and rolled, smashing infected in its' way into bloody pulp.

Laughing like a kid in a candy store grabbed another car, this time, an SUV, and lifted it above his head with ease. _I'm fuckin' Superman! _He thought.Hurling the car at a building and watched, with a grin plastered on his face, as it crumpled against the brick wall.

He then spent the next hour laughing his ass off, as he grabbed various infected, who squealed in surprise, and threw them as far as he could. He made various sounds of satisfaction as he began to punch and kick the dead around, their bones cracking and splintering with every hit, watching them fly into each other, walls, cars and generally everything.

Adrian completely forgot what he was looking for, as had some fun, kicking some infected ass. _What was I looking for?_ He thought confusedly. _Oh right, clothes._ He slapped his face with his hand, and laughed to himself, before turning back to the store.

He found the biggest jacket that he could fit in, a black XXXL hoodie that barely fit over his frame. Adrian modeled clothes on himself for a while, looking in a full-length mirror, and admiring at how tall and muscular he had become. He had been about 5'9, and now he was easily 8'10. Thick cords of muscle ran up his arms and legs, and he flexed and posed in the mirror, laughing in amazement at his new found strength.

He dressed himself in a pair of the biggest black jeans the store had, along with the largest black sneakers he could find, and a black shirt to go under his hoodie. He looked at himself in the mirror, and grinned to himself, dressed all in black, luminous yellow eyes peering from under the hoodie. _I look badass,_ he thought to himself with a smile.

He sighed, and looked around the store a little more, hoping to find some supplies, when he came across a pink jacket with a white stripe under the arm, and thought, _that would look good on Zoey._ He froze in horror. _Oh shit! Zoey! And Steve! They must think I'm dead!_ He shook his head, in frustration,_ I such an idiot. I ran around, having fun while they could be fighting for their lives. Or worse._ His head snapped up. _I gotta find them!_ He stuffed the pink jacket into his pocket, as he ran out of the store. _Shit, were did they go?_ The sun had set, and his night vision kicked in, making seem like a yellow sun had come up. He looked up at the roof, and remembered, from earlier that day, when they had planned to go across the tops of the buildings until they could get out of town. _Hopefully they followed the plan,_ He thought.

Crouching, he jumped, attempting to reach the lip of the roof so he could pull himself up; to his surprise, he soared above the roof, the wind whistling in his ears. He impacted on the roof of the building, the concrete cracking underneath the force. He looked around, hoping to see his friends, when suddenly; he smelled a faint trace of perfume, drifting on the wind. _Zoey's perfume._ A line seemed to appear out of thin air, leading across the roof tops. _That must be the way the went,_ he thought.

He took off across the roofs, running as fast as he could, leaping across the large gaps with ease. _Christ, I must be going 30 miles an hour!_ The scent trail led him across the tops of the buildings; the miles his friends had run in one day, he ran in five minutes.

"…those **things** to eat him! We could have-" _That's Zoey's voice._ He saw Zoey and Steve bent over and panting, seemingly outlined by the scent of sweat. Adrian noticed movement in the shadows…a hooded figure crouched in the darkness, while a tall figure stood on a taller roof across from of Zoey and Steve.

"**RAAHHH!"** The hooded figure leapt about twenty feet and landed on Zoey, pinning her underneath its' weight. "Help me!" she cried out, putting her arm in front of her face to protect it. "Zo-gaahh!" The tall figure shot something out of its' mouth, and it wrapped around Steve, pinning his arms to his sides and pulling towards the hooded figure. _Oh shi-_ Adrian's thoughts of helping where cut when the hooded Infected howled in triumph, and dived for Zoey's throat. _NO!_

"Zoey!" He shouted.

The hooded infected looked up in surprise as a giant, black figure rammed him.

Adrian put his shoulder forward, and sprinted straight at the hood on top of Zoey. It looked up in surprise as he slammed into it, and with a sicking crack, sent it flying off of the roof. He bent down and held out a hand to Zoey.

Zoey recoiled in fear as the hooded giant with glowing eyes reached for her. Both looked around at the gurgling that Steve made as he was choked by the slimy tongue. "Oh, shit!" The giant said in a deep, rumbling voice. Zoey's eyes widened, _That voice sounds familiar!_ It turned and jumped straight at the roof above Steve, and with a poof of smoke, the slimy appendage let go of Steve. He fell to the ground, coughing and gasping, trying to get air into his lungs. _Adrian? _Zoey thought, _Could that giant be Adrian?_

Clutching her cut arm, she limped over to Steve, still lying on the roof, breathing heavily. "Steve? Are you alright?" Zoey held out a hand to help Steve up. He grabbed her hand, and she heaved him onto his feet. Leaning on each other, they both jumped, or in Steve's case, fell over, in surprise, when a loud thump sounded behind them. Zoey turned around slowly, fearful that something bigger had come for them. She was right, in a way.

"Adrian?" She asked with fear in her voice. The giant reached up and flicked the hood of it's' face. Adrian smiled at her, "Hey, Zoey, how's things?"

She fainted.


	5. Truck You, And Truck Your Friends

Chapter 5.

Zoey woke slowly. Slowly, because she was in comfortable bed, and the sheets were soft and luxurious against her skin. Her eyes flew open. She bolted up, then quickly pulled the sheets around her when she realized she was only in her under garments. Looking around the room, she noticed a bathroom, a window looking out onto the town, a pile of clothes, _MY clothes,_ she thought. And in one corner of the room, there were her guns and equipment, along with Steve's. She slowly slid out of bed, and tip-toed towards a one of her pistols lying on the ground; reaching out for it, she noticed that her arm was bandaged.

_Steve must have carried me here after…_ with a jolt, she remembered the hooded figure jumping on her and slashing her arm away from her face, and then diving for her exposed neck. She remembered thinking '_I'm gonna die,' _when another, taller hooded figure, shrouded in black, had thrown the other one off of her, then tried to help her up, before they noticed Steve being choked by a long tongue. It then jumped at the source of the tongue, and saved Steve from suffocating.

Zoey remembered that the giant had come back, and that she asked him if he was Adrian. She also remembered that it had flicked its' hood back, and Adrian's face had smiled at her, and talked to her before her vision went black.

"That couldn't have been Adrian," She said to the empty room. A rustling noise drew her attention to the window. Grabbing one of her pistols, she pointed it at the window. A large hand shot up and grabbed the window sill. Shouting in surprise, Zoey pulled the trigger of the pistol.

_Click._

She stared at the pistol in horror, as the hand was followed by arm, then a head. A black hooded head, with yellow eyes. It froze at the sight of Zoey pointing her pistol at it. In her underwear. Then it pulled it self up, and it slid into the room, a black trash bag underneath one of its arms.

Adrian stood tall, and dropped the bag he carried. He pulled his hood back, revealing his face to Zoey.

"Adrian?" She gasped.

Adrian chuckled and shook his head. "I thought you'd react that way," he said. He pulled off the hoodie, and tossed it aside. "Good morning, beautiful."

She stood still for a second, just one, and then threw herself into his arms. Clutching his neck, she felt her tears soak into the collar of his black shirt. "I thought you were dead," she said quietly. "I'm not dead yet, Zoey," he kissed her head. He picked her up off of her feet, cradling her in his arms, and sat down gently.

They sat there for what felt like hours, holding her in his arms, Zoey leaning against his chest, arms wrapped around his neck.

A rustling noise, and then a groan of pain came from a door. Zoey gave him one last squeeze, then slid off his lap. Adrian stood, sighing, and said, "I'm going to check on Steve. You should get dressed. There are some new clothes for you in that bag. " He walked quietly to the door to the other room, and went through. Before he closed the door, he turned and winked at Zoey. "Nice underwear," He chuckled as she blushed and moved towards the bag.

Zoey went to the bag, and pulled a pair of jeans, some black high-tops, a belt, and a pink jacket that had a white stripe going to the side. (Basically, Zoey's outfit from Left 4 Dead.) She dressed quickly, and found a small bag of beef jerky. Finding she was ravenous, she opened the bag and tore into a piece, then another. Hunger somewhat sated, she closed the bag of jerky and put it in the black bag.

"Where's Zoey?" A man's voice yelled from the other room. _Steve,_ she thought,_ he doesn't know that that's Adrian!_ She ran into the other room, and saw Steve standing on the bed, a pistol in one hand, also in his underwear, with bandages wrapped around his torso. "Steve!" Zoey waved from behind Adrian, who had his hands up in a non-threatening gesture, trying to placate Steve. "Stop it, Steve! It's me, Adrian! I saved you guys last night, remember?" "Bullshit!" Steve spat, "Adrian died!" "I know that you think that, but I was just knocked out!" "I heard his back break!" Steve seemed to notice Zoey behind him.

"Zoey! You're alright! Grab a gun, or something-" "Steve," She said soothingly, "It's alright, it's Adrian. He's still alive!" Steve lowered the gun a fraction. "We saw him die, Zoey! We can't ju-" "Steve," Adrian said slowly, "I just wan to help you guys get out of Fairway, and then we'll go our separate ways. Okay?" Steve lowered his pistol slowly, and nodded, while behind Adrian, Zoey's face fell.

**2 HOURS LATER**

They walked down the street, Zoey and Steve with pistols drawn, capping any infected within range, Adrian leading them out of the town. They made it to a closed garage, the only incident being Steve bumping into a car, the car alarm going off, and Zoey and Steve watching in amazement as Adrian lifted the car and hurled it towards the group of Infected running towards them.

As Adrian lifted the garage door up, a blaring burglar alarm went off. "Shit!" Adrian cursed, "Zoey, check to see if that truck has any keys! Steve, you and me will protect her!" Zoey ran off to look for keys, and Steve and Adrian stood in front of the garage, Steve putting his pistol away and pulling his assault rifle off of his back.

Zoey checked the truck, but found no keys. She searched the garage for the keys, and finally found them in owners' office. Running back to the truck, she stuck the keys in the ignition and turned, but the truck didn't start. "It's outta gas!" She screamed over the sound of the alarm.

By that time, almost every infected in fair way is front of the garage, drawn to sound of the alarm. Adrian punched an infected woman and sent her flying when Zoey screamed at them. He looked around, swinging an infected around as a bludgeon, for anything that could help. He spotted a gas station across the street, and yelled to Zoey, "Zoey, get out here and help Steve! I'm going to push the truck across the road to the gas station!" Zoey reached inside the truck and switched it to neutral, then ran out of the garage, past Adrian as he was going in. Both pistols drawn, she began firing into the horde.

Adrian got behind the truck, putting his shoulder to the rear bumper, he pushed, and it started rolling across the street, Zoey and Steve following behind, still holding off the dead with their guns. The truck rolled into the gas station, and Adrian set it next to the a pump, then yelled, "Zoey! Fill the gas tank up! I'll help Steve!" Zoey backed up still firing her pistols into the masses, while Adrian charged right into the middle. The horde, recognizing the bigger threat that he was, turned their collective attention towards him, and surrounded him as he used his fists to pound and scatter the infected.

Steve kept firing, even with Adrian in the middle of them. Some of his bullet hit Adrian, who yelled, "Watch your fire! That stings, you know!" Surprised at his resilience, Steve listened and turned his fire towards the outlying zombies.

"It's full!" Zoey yelled over the howling, screeching masses.

_Looks like it's time to put my plan in action,_ Adrian thought. "Steve! Zoey! Get in the truck! I'll cover you!" He pulled a pipe bomb out of his pocket, lit the fuse, and tossed into the horde.

Drawn towards the piercing beeps, the dead turned their attention towards the bomb.

Steve jumped into the cab of the truck, and started it, backing up over the bodies of the dead they had killed, and pointed the truck out of the town. "Zoey!" he shouted, "Get into the truck!"

The pipe bomb exploded, sending bits and pieces of the infected flying sky-high. Zoey ran to the passenger side, but paused, thinking. She turned around and ran to Adrian, who was lit another pipe bomb and threw into the horde. "Zoey! What are you doing?" Steve screamed.

"Adrian!" the massive man turned and stared at her yellow eyes confused and angry. "What are you doing? Get-" "Come with us!" She cut him off. "Please! I can't lose you again! I l-" He silenced her with a kiss, his lips against hers, a kiss of passion; a kiss goodbye.

He drew back, eyes filled with tears, and whispered, "Me too."

Stunned, Zoey made didn't move as Adrian pulled the two pipe bombs from her belt and gently tossed her onto the back of the truck. "Steve! Drive! **NOW!**"

Steve watched in the mirror, as Adrian kissed Zoey, the woman Steve loved, shock etched on his face. _No…not Zoey…_ he jerked out of his thoughts as Adrian tossed Zoey into the back of the truck. "Steve! Drive!** NOW!**" he slammed his foot onto the gas pedal, and the tires screeched, caught, and sped off. Zoey was in the back of the truck surprise and shock stunning her momentarily. "No!" She cried, "Steve, stop the truck, please!" His foot never left the gas pedal, and they sped off, the road leading into a small thicket that blocked the view of the town. Zoey pounded her fists against the glass, pleading' "Please! Stop the truck! Ple-"

An explosion rocked the ground, and Steve hit the brakes and screeched to a stop. Jumping out of the cab, he stared in amazement at the fireball rising into the sky. "Adrian!" Zoey cried.

**ADRIAN**

He watched the truck speed off for a second, sadness filling his heart. "Sorry, Zoey. I guess it was never meant to be." He turned back to the horde of infected, with the second pipe bomb gone; the infected were sprinting towards the screeching of the truck.

_I guess it's time._

Ripping the hoodie off, he revealed what he had taken away from underneath a secret floorboard in the gunshop: Four bricks of military-grade explosives, strapped to his chest.

Pulling the beeping device from one of the pipe bombs, he clicked the button.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

The horde turned its' attention towards Adrian.

He lit the fuses of both the pipe bombs, and tossed the one without a beeper at the gas station. It rolled to a stop, clinking slightly against one of the pumps.

The other, he jammed into the vest of explosives he wore.

"**COME GET SOME, YOU ZOMBIE MOTHERFUCKERS!"** He roared as he charged into thick of the undead.

The fuse reached its explosive payload.

Zoey, tears running down her face, turned to Steve. She buried her face in his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.

A small, satisfied smirk curled his lips.

_Now…she's all mine._

**2 HOURS LATER.**

"Ow, shit, ow, dammit, that really, really, hurt." The words echoed around the site of the explosion, fires crackling.

A tall figure walked out of the smoke, clothed in rags and hair smoking. Yellow eyes blinked away tears of pain.

Adrian stood hunched over, clutching his side.

"Well, so much for that plan."


	6. I'll Follow You

Chapter 6

"Wait…" Francis looked confused. He wasn't the only one. "How did you survive?" Bill and Louis looked at Adrian questioningly. "How did you survive?" Zoey whispered.

Adrian sighed and shook his head. "Hell if I know. After the explosion, I woke up in the middle of a large crater, with this huge wound in my chest." He took a flashlight from a pocket, and shined it on his chest. The light revealed a large scar covering his chest. Zoey reached through the grate and gently ran a finger across the scar tissue. "Oh, Adrian…"

"What I want to know," said Louis, "Is what happened to Steve?" Adrian looked down into Zoey's eyes. "What did happen to him?" he asked gently. She bit her lip, recalling the memory…

_They came across a sobbing figure; hunched over, face in her hands. Zoey told him that they should walk around, he ignores her, and aims at the crying girl's head, and squeezes off a round, thinking one would be enough._

_Wrong._

_She screams, stands up and dashes at him, slicing his stomach open in one slash. _

_Blood sprays across the crying girls face, coating it in a fine mist._

_Zoey aims at her head, and pulls the trigger. _

_Once. A hole appears in the girl's head, but doesn't affect her._

_Twice. The hole opens up more, blood streaming out of her head._

_Three. The girl's brains splatter across the wall, and she falls over, dead._

"_No! Not you too!" Zoey cries. _

"_I…I'm sorry…Zoey…I…I…" His eyes roll back into his head, and he breathes no more._

_Zoey cries, her tears dripping off her chin, landing on his face. She holds his body, as it goes cold._

"A Witch killed him." Zoey looks up into Adrian's eyes, tears threatening to spill out. "Yeah… couple days later, I met these guys." She wipes her eyes, a watery smile forming on her lips. "But… at least you're still alive." She whispers to him. Adrian reached through the bars, and gently cups her face. "I've been following you since before the city." Her eyes go wide in shock. "W…What? Why didn't you tell me?" She asks quietly. "I didn't think you would want me anymore." Zoey starts to say something, but he cuts her off. "I followed you, keeping away from you, only sometimes helping you out, when I thought you would die…"

Bill, Francis, and Louis remember; sometimes a Smoker would snare Zoey when the Horde came for them. Then, without warning the Smoker would disappear, leaving behind a puff of smoke as a sign of death. They would sometimes hear the screech of a Hunter, only to see a splatter on the ground. They would sometimes hear a Boomer explode, then come across the blown-up remains around the next corner.

"That was you?" Bill asked. "And here I thought they would kill themselves because they heard me coming," Francis said jokingly. Louis shook his head at Francis's joke. "That was lame, dude," He said. "That wasn't the only time," Adrian said. "Remember Mercy Hospital?" Zoey tilts her head, a confused look on her face.

"_Zoey! Get in the chopper!" Bill yells from helicopter. "I'm coming!" she yells back. They hear the roar of a Tank, and the ground rumbles. Zoey drops her sniper rifle and sprints, jumps into the chopper. "Get us out of here!" Louis screams, from next to Francis. As the chopper begins to pull away, the Tank reaches out and snags one of the landing strips in its' grip. He roars as he reaches for Zoey…then suddenly, it loses its' footing, and tumbles off the roof, falling to its' death. _

_The chopper pulls away, leaving, unbeknownst to them, Adrian, hanging off the side of the roof, having tackled the Tank off, and nearly fallen himself. He climbs back onto the roof, and watches the helicopter, carrying the woman he loves, fly away._

_But it is not the end for them. Adrian could smell the Infection on the pilot, and knows they would not get far before the pilot succumbed. Adrian leaps from the roof of the hospital, falling towards the roof of the building closest to the hospital._

"I watched as you crashed, then made your way through the town, and brought that van out. I watched as you drove away, certain that I wouldn't have to follow you anymore. Then I realized, 'ten gallons of gas won't get you very far, especially in a van.' So, I followed, actually… happy that I would get to protect you for a little while longer." "Adrian…" Zoey says, but he continues, almost trying to the memories out of his head through his mouth.

_The boat pulls away, everyone on board, but the dock rattles and shakes as a horde of infected run down it, a Tank leading the charge. Suddenly, the dock breaks underneath them, sending the Tank and the horde to a watery death, to stupid to pull themselves out, our go back to shore._

_Adrian pulls himself to shore, gasping for breath. He flops on the bank, resting and watching the boat pull away. He shakes himself off, and stands up, then begins jogging up the bank of the river, following them._

"Adrian…"

_The rotors whirl and buzz, as the plane turns away. A clang sounds from the left wing of the craft. "What the hell was that?" Zoey asks. The pilot responds, saying, "I don't know! Whatever it is, it's gone now." Francis settles in for the trip, setting his shotgun across his lap, laying his head against the interior of the plane. "You know what? I don't hate planes." Zoey smirks across the plane at him. "What's that? Something you don't hate? Stop the damn presses." Louis laughs, and after a moment, Bill joins in, and then so does Zoey, and even Francis. The plane is filled with the sound of their laughter._

_Outside, on the top of the plane, Adrian is hanging on for dear life, nails digging into the roof, hoping to god that they don't break._

"Adrian!" He snapped out of the memories, brought back from the visions by Zoey's voice. "I never told you I was watching…because I thought I didn't deserve you, your friendship, or your love." Zoey scrambled for the words, stunned by the sadness that is evident on his face.

Adrian's expression turns from one of sadness, to one of determination. "But I'll be damned if I ever let anything hurt, Zoey. I love you, and I am never letting you go. Not ever again."

Zoey, forgetting the door between them, moved forward to kiss him…banging her head against the grate.

Adrian's rumbling laughter shook his hands, and Zoey giggled at her foolishness. Turning to Bill, "Can we open the door for him?" Bill licked his lips nervously. "How can we know that you'll remain sane?" he asked, motioning towards the graffiti on the wall. Adrian's good eye looked at him, questioning. "What do you mean? I've been sane the entire time. Including when you," he pointed at Francis, "shot me in the eye." Francis gave him a apologetic smile. "How is your eye by the way?" Adrian shook his head, and said, "It's almost done healing." "What?" Shock spread across their faces, along with a little fear.

"Yeah, I heal quickly. How did you think I survived that explosion?" He opened his other eye, showing them an almost completely healed eyeball. With a small _pop_, his eye, like a light switch had been thrown, regained its luminescent glow.

Adrian blinked rapidly, then re-focused his eyes on the wall behind the bed. "What's that?" He pointed towards the wall; the mattress covered small scrawl, the B being the only thing uncovered. Francis kicked the mattress away, revealing a hastily scrbbled note on the wall:

**BEWARE THE BLUE-EYED MONSTER**

"Oh shit…" Louis's mouth was agape.

Adrian stared at all of them, a questioning look in his eyes.

"There is another one like me?"


End file.
